


Stay

by rayeliann



Series: Two Shepards AU [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Two Shepards AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 12:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3290051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayeliann/pseuds/rayeliann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two Shepards AU- my Eleri Shepard and tumblr user flockofflamingos' Joseph Shepard.</p><p> This is taking place after the Arrival DLC mission of ME2, before ME3</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

Sleep faded away from Eleri like an early morning fog slowly lifting. As wakefulness crept up on her, so did a gentle throbbing in her temples that reminded her of the previous night’s celebrations… and over indulgences.

Her vision was hazy, like trying to look through frosted glass, and she blinked a few times to clear it. The familiar low blue cast to the room, and the ever-present thrum of the engine told her she was still on board the Normandy. This was good- she had no doubts that in the previous night’s inebriated state, she could have have found some means of escaping the ship- even in the middle of an unpopulated and uninteresting stretch of space. But something was off about the room - things were not where they should be, and everything seemed a bit…neater than she was accustomed to.

The events of the previous night rushed back at her all at once- in snippets and blurs, and her stomach dropped as realization dawned on her. _Shit, I should have been gone by now._ She had no illusions about what was expected of her- she knew what she was. A passing fancy, someone to be used up and tossed aside. Disposable. Hanging around would just make things more awkward for the both of them, and more painful when he finally asked her to go.  She shifted ever so slightly, lifting her head to look over the edge of the bed for her clothes in the cabin’s dim lighting.

“Stay.” A husky voice mumbled over her shoulder. Eleri froze, her heart thumping wildly against her ribs like a caged and rabid animal. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, strange and foreign in her own mouth, as a lump rose in the back of her throat. The bumps and bruises she had collected complained with tiny starbursts of pain as every muscle in her body tightened, coiled and ready to flee. Confusion whirled through her mind as the ever-present voice of doubt skittered about, taunting her. He must be talking in his sleep. She couldn’t have heard what she thought she heard… or she’d imagined hearing what she wanted. It wasn’t the first time.

The strong arm that had been flung across her middle tightened gently, pulling her toward a big, warm body. She let it.

“Stay with me.” Joseph repeated, softer - but more clear this time. His breath brushed the back of her neck, sending a chill running down her spine. She’d heard him right- the words sending a thrill sparking through her. She nearly choked on the breath that she had not realized she was holding.

Eleri felt wide shoulders curl around her, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt warm and safe. The chill of empty space that crept into her bones over Alchera had begun to ebb. In the dark, she could feel his heart beating - slow, steady and sure. It didn’t falter or flutter about frenzied and wild like hers, it was a constant, enduring beat. Soft lips pressed a warm kiss just behind her ear, and she felt herself melt, her muscles relax, and a slow smile slip across her face.

“Always” she exhaled, letting her eyes fall closed once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Here are some of the baseline points for the Two Shepards AU- in case anyone is interested or confused.  
> Basically, the idea is that there are Two Commander Shepards:
> 
> Joseph Shepard (Earthborn War Hero) - Flockofflamingos  
> and 
> 
> Eleri Shepard* (Earthborn Sole Survivor)  
> *Shepard is actually a chosen last name for Eleri, since she needed one when she enlisted, and didn’t know her own, she “borrowed” the last name of the person who helped to pull her out of the gutter and put her on the track to Alliance Military.
> 
>    
> They are NOT related. I’ve seen bro/sis shep AUs before, which is a fun idea, but not what is going on here.
> 
>  
> 
> Since Shepard’s first name is never mentioned, we headcanon that the two were actually mixed up quite often (Basically Shepard is like Smith or Jones and a super common). 
> 
> They originally met during N& training, and began an intense rivalry, each eager to prove they were the better Shepard. 
> 
> Thanks to an error in paperwork and communication, both were put forward as candidates for Human Spectres and assigned to the Normandy/Eden Prime shakedown run with Nihlus. 
> 
> Both were affected by the beacon- both ARE Commander Shepard.  
> Both are Renegon Alignment - Though Eleri’s split is more of a 3/4 renegade.
> 
> Headcanon that they split captain's quarters into two cabins after taking over the Normandy (ME1 is haphazard, but when Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy, they account for two captains cabins- the loft is gigantic. But the walls are thin.) 
> 
> Eleri romanced Kaidan in ME1 (Horizon did NOT go well - she feels betrayed) and Joe was crushing something terrible on that cute Quarian Tali.
> 
> Eleri and Joseph were still hardcore rivals in ME1 with a lot of good-natured teasing and very mild sexual tension and occasional flirting (Eleri is very flirtatious with EVERYONE)
> 
>  
> 
> Cerberus wasn’t entirely sure which one of them they needed, so they brought both of them back($$$).
> 
> They grow to depend on each other in ME2, being the only people who can really understand what the other went through. Each takes resurrection differently. Joe experiences some body dysmorphia and possibly depression? while Eleri grows reckless, constantly chasing the next adrenaline high and worries that she was not put back together correctly.
> 
> Their first kiss takes place after an intense mission, in the shuttle, and is initiated by Eleri while on an adrenaline high.
> 
> Their first hook-up takes place after a celebration of their safe-return from the Arrival mission.


End file.
